


time in a bottle

by bisexualgansey



Category: SKAM (TV)
Genre: F/F, M/M, just go with it they’re soulmates, you know that joke about how lesbians fall in love in two seconds ? that’s the story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-22
Updated: 2017-10-22
Packaged: 2019-01-21 06:53:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12451980
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bisexualgansey/pseuds/bisexualgansey
Summary: noora fell in love, that night. and she’s going to find her again.





	time in a bottle

1987 was the time noora liked the best. the lights were very bright and everyone looked fashionably silly, like in those movies where people can just start singing out of the blue, confidently expecting some trumpet player to be hiding in the crowd, ready to turn a whim into pure magic. 

she took off her glasses and looked around. no trumpet player in sight, no. not for her, not ever. but perhaps... perhaps, soon... she could hear the sea, gently swaying and the moon was turning everyone blue around her and it all looked so real. and for now, just being a face in that crowd, just being there was enough. 

it was enough. 

she had her san junipero smile on, she could tell, the dazzled and gullible one that made her face look too big and eager. she didn't care. feeling like a complete tourist in this strange place was the best thing she ever got to experience, it was her time, hers and no one else's. 

fumbling with the hem of her coat, noora walked past ronald reagan talking to her from a screen in a shop without sparing him a glance, taken with the grandiosity of all these night clubs and bars roaring with noise and life and shouts. it was all red and blue and yellow, neon lights dancing on her face and lighting up the dark. 

the cars drove past way too fast and it was hard not to be scared but her dread ended where her enthusiasm began and with every sharp intake of breath that screamed fear, her heart hammered excitedly in her chest, humming with delight to the beat of the music coming from the speakers. 

she could make out people at the corner of the street, two boys kissing, a girl fighting with a boy in hushed voices, angrily whispering in arabic and a group of girls singing loudly the lyrics of gonna getcha food by shania twain, all coming together to form the most chaotic, eclectic of moment and noora's smile only got wider as she walked past them.

oh, anything could happen in this place. 

"hey. hey, blonde girl!"

she turned to face the voice, hoping it'd turn out to be one of the girls who were singing and was faced instead with the other girl, the one that had been arguing. the boy must have left, noora thought. 

their eyes met and noora startled at the sharpness of this brown and frustrated gaze, pulling her in, the soft fabric of the girl's hijab almost glowing in the dark, gentle green clashing with the blinding lights. 

she started speaking and noora had to focus to understand what she was saying, as she was clearly upset about something. struggling for breath, the girl started rambling fast and something told noora that this wasn't a state of panic this girl liked to give in to. her frown kept deepening with every frantic word, hers hands moving around with exasperation.

"-and I get that it sounds like a really suspicious thing to ask someone you've just met but I promise that this isn't a come-on, I mean, that's pretty obvious but maybe you're one of those people who always think people are coming on to them, I don't know! a lot of weird people around here, if you ask me, which is why I really need your help, I can't go out there on my own, my stupid brother won't help and-"

her eyes looked at her with such desperation then that noora, instinctively, smiled and gently motioned to rest her hand on her arm, reassuring her. 

"I'll come with you, no problem! could you just repeat where to ?" 

the girl breathed out, defeated. 

"the quagmire. and I get that it's weird and all, you're probably going to say no but I have to find a friend and-"

"no problem! shall we go ?" 

she stared. noora stared back. 

"you're just gonna go with me, like that ? to the quagmire ?" 

"uh... yeah.. you seem like you need help."

she stared some more and then, then, she bursted out laughing and there was such wonder and disbelief in that little huff of laughter, it made noora feel so warm and happy in the silliest way, watching this girl laugh with relief, realizing she wouldn't have to be brave and face a scary place on her own. 

"for real ?"

"for real." 

she could feel herself smiling stupidly at the girl, who was grinning now, reassured and amused. 

"ok then! I'm sana! and what do I call a reckless and careless girl like you, who's willing to follow a complete stranger to the creepiest, grimiest place possible ?" 

"noora. I'm called noora. just wondering, but the quagmire wouldn't be that place where people go to- uh-" 

"it is! I'm glad you're not too blindly trusting, that's very good, I was starting to think that I would have to trail you every week and keep you from getting into trouble."

mischief danced in those haunting brown eyes and noora wanted to tell her that she would quite like that, very much in fact. 

"I have a friend, she- she goes there, sometimes and I have to tell her something but it’s close to midnight and I’m not sure we’ll make it! I hate going there on my own and my brother was supposed to come but he decided he was going to be useless, so.. thank god for you.”

she stopped there, out of breath and then whispered, taking her hand in hers. 

“truly." 

they started walking, sana leading her into the night, looking up at her now and then with a grateful smile. 

it made noora feel dizzy. 

talking was surprisingly easy, walking down the crowded avenues. sana seemed so happy to have found her, so relieved that a tangible warmth easily sprung between the two of them, stopping any awkwardness to come and burst this shy little bubble they shared. still, noora couldn't help but notice that they had been talking for a while and sana had yet to say anything about herself or her real life. 

noora said nothing, didn’t ask about what could be so important that she had to go to a place she obviously feared. she simply followed along. 

this was san junipero and it was how people worked. 

they settled on noise, charming, enticing and intoxicating noise as they exited town, jumping into a car while making small talk, discussing the places they liked best and the times, singing along to mr blue sky by the electric light orchestra and other inconsequential things. 

it was nothing. it felt like something.

they'd been driving for some time when noora put her glasses back on, smiling at sana who was glancing at her pensively.

"are those real ? or just a fashion statement ?"

"they’re real but I don’t really like them.” 

"still, you’re wearing them here. I like that."

noora's stomach jumped at that, watching the lights dance on sana’s face. 

being right there, sensing the other girl’s presence in the dark, so very near felt like living in an exclamation mark. 

she didn't know if she could take anything more and yet, she kept hoping she'd find the nerve to try something, anything. 

all she wanted to do was to keep living in the space of possibilities sana created in her mind. it was, perhaps, the silliest thought to have, sitting next to a charismatic stranger, but it was true. 

"so, you like that I wear things I'm not comfortable in ?" noora teased, weakly.

"no." sana's eyes found hers then, so precise that it made her shiver again. "what I like is that you're real. you're not hiding behind anything." 

she squinted her eyes, focused on the road ahead but her frown had appeared again and it kept deepening with every turn when she said, abruptly : 

"it's the people that come here that I don't get. it may not be up to me to judge but so many good people get swooped in things that aren't good for them and I- it makes you wonder what we're even doing here, you know ? what is it that we're looking for so eagerly, all of us, going to this place." 

they kept driving in silence for a while, both surprised about sana's outburst, the sudden truthfulness of it. she was busy fixing the visor, her eyes focused on the road, obviously a little embarrassed when noora felt herself reply against her will. 

"a way out of loneliness, I guess." 

she hadn't meant to respond but something in her refused to let the silence speak for her. 

she wanted to understand sana and perhaps even more embarrassingly, she wanted sana to understand her. 

but sana's attention was elsewhere. it was difficult to ignore the building standing in front of them, a blot of metal standing out among the spotless skyscrapers made of glass. 

they had arrived. 

"I don't know about you but I really don't think a little loneliness is a good enough reason to explain all of this." she sighed, sadly looking at a girl throwing up on the corner at one of the many grimy street converging towards the quagmire, imposing and dark, shaking with the music and the people pouring out. 

noora felt cold again as they got out of the car and she looked at sana, who was holding out her hand. 

"still up for this ?" 

she really had to stop smiling like an idiot, she thought, nodding softly. 

the crowd never seemed to stop moving, all in groups, boys groping girls and girls, holding boys and sana's mouth only got tighter and tighter until they got to the middle of the place, a dark room with cages and electrical music. 

sana didn't even glance at them, walking past and pointedly looking for her friend, ever focused on the task at hand. people kept hurriedly moving out of her way.

noora thought she might just be the most efficient person she had ever met. 

it wasn't so bad, inside. they had come to a room where 10cc was playing and people were kissing, hugging, laughing, groping in the dark and the atmosphere, buzzing with the potential for closeness was intoxicating, like being high. 

as they kept looking, calling out for sana's friend who was named chris, noora held on tighter to sana's hand. she wasn't afraid but sana held on right back. she didn't think she was afraid either.

no, definitely better than being high.

“chris ? chris ? oh, there she is!”

sana had managed to scan the entirety of the room in ten minutes flat and was now moving towards the left corner, where a crowd had started to form. people were cheering on, laughing and noora had a hard time passing through unlike sana who could, apparently, make anyone take a step back. still, noora powered through. she refused to loose sight of sana. 

in the middle of all that commotion was a poker table and there stood the person noora assumed to be chris, a curvy girl with a wicked glint in her eyes, dressed all in sportswear and with no make up on, shuffling cards while exchanging crude jokes with the crowd, causing snickers and hoots of laughter to erupt all around her like a magician pulling tricks. 

she oozed confidence and noora couldn’t have been less surprised. of course, this gorgeous person was sana’s friend, a genuine part of her world. how could she not be ? with that smile, that ease. they were apparitions, the both of them. 

she seemed so normal in comparaison, so very quaint and forgettable. but sana took her hand again and her hard facade vanished, her brown eyes pouring into noora’s with such sincerity, she felt her heart stop. 

“I’m just going to talk to her and then- god, it’s late. I’m so sorry. I really ruined your trip, haven’t I ? and all because of my stupid fears. oh, noora, you’re so nice and-“ 

“it’s okay. this has been the best night, sana.”

and then, again. 

“truly.”

the music was so loud that she had to scream, somewhat awkwardly, over the voices and the speakers but that last word, barely whispered, seemed to carry through a thousand times more, to echo, as if to separate them from the crowd and the clock ticking and bring them back to a few hours ago, back when they were two strangers. noora felt the difference between those two moments like a physical ache, standing so close to sana she felt she could reach out and touch her cheek, kiss her, hold her. 

sana blinked, her eyes darkening slightly as they descended to rest on noora’s lips, entering her space with the same decidedness she had shown earlier. 

noora stood there. time stilled, the people, the music, it all entered some background place in her mind, they were all behind a door closed, no, locked. it was all sana, slowly advancing. 

she stopped. noora felt a light kiss on her cheek, surprinslingly eager and in a blink of an eye, sana was gone, her green hijab catching the light just like it did on the streets as she went to talk to chris. 

noora stayed where she stood, her glasses falling from her nose. she had to restrain herself from stroking her cheek. she didn’t know what she was supposed to do. go back ? midnight was soon, so very soon. 

bette davis eyes started playing and everyone screamed, the whole place was lit up blue and it reminded noora of the moon she had seen upon entering town, all the promises it had seemed to carry and how they had been fulfilled, somehow. 

_all the boys think she’s a spy, she got bette davis eyes! ___

____

__

she was confused, she hoped sana would return so that they could do this thing again, this thing when time stopped and noora’s entire world lit up but for now, she danced, feeling the strength of her legs like a gift. 

she looked silly when she danced, she knew. she didn’t care, she didn’t, she never would again. 

she felt eyes on her and met eyes with chris who was sitting in the bar, looking at her and laughing kindly, motioning for her to come join her. 

noora from earth never would have gone. she would have said something like hey, your friend is so beautiful, it makes me want to cry, I want to be near her and do something about that tightness in her eyes but I don’t know who you are or what this place is. I’m not used to any of this. 

noora from san junipero nodded back and made her way through. surprisingly, people seemed to move to let her pass. 

she felt like stroking her cheek again. 

“well, I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself. the gay corner of this building is really the only one worth a damn. shocker, I know!”

she laughed, pointing to her pride flag pin with a knowing smile. noora decided she liked her. 

“look, sana shouldn’t be too long, we’re going back. and all for your benefit, apparently! this is a really, really interesting night.” 

chris had a voice like a music instrument, low and suave. she stared at noora pointedly. 

“she likes you, I think. I’m surprised she even managed to get here. her brother had been going through a rough patch ever since he settled here and I’ve been helping him. we were supposed to meet to talk it out but he bailed. I wasn’t going to be mad or anything, they’re pretty much family at this point but sana came to apologize on his behalf anyways. because that’s how she is. loyal to a fault. so loyal that she’d come to this place that she fucking hates just to make sure he isn’t in trouble.”

she kept staring at noora who was starting to feel unnerved. there was some underlying threat hiding under all of this, she wasn’t stupid, she could hear it.

“I’ve just met her.”

“Ah but this doesn’t change the situation we’re in, does it ? she came here.”

noora thought about the looks she had felt on them back when they came in, the frowns, the looks following the green hijab who kept catching the light. 

she remembered everyone stepping away from sana. she had been very, very stupid. 

“she obviously trusts you and that’s a lot. so like, I have no idea what your deal is but don’t mess it up.”

noora didn’t know what to say. the blue lights were gone. 

she wanted to look at chris, and say that all of this was premature, that she barely knew sana, that she couldn’t possibly be that important to deserve that sort of speech, out of all people. midnight would come soon and none of this would matter anymore. it would all fade and there would be other nights, other songs, other girls. 

noora wouldn’t be special for very long. nothing lasted, not in this place, where the only lights came from night clubs and cars racing past, all of it was just fever dreams piled upon one another. it would all fade and she’d be back in her hospital bed, she was always going to be back there, in the end. so why bother ?

but chris just kept staring at her knowingly, sipping her drink and noora saw flashes of brown eyes looking for her, like flashing lights on the road before impact. 

she absentmindedly rose her hand to stroke her cheek again. 

“ok. got it.”

chris smiled, satisfied and started talking about the anachronistic choices of music and whether that was done on purpose as some sort of meta joke for the tourists but noora was only half listening. 

she wanted sana to come back. she wanted to say goodbye.

she wanted to make sure that they’d meet again. 

“hope you didn’t get her into too much trouble, chris! only half an hour til midnight, shall we get going ?” 

“oh, I’m not coming! I’m not a tourist so the whole cinderella deal doesn’t apply to me. but you two have fun! I’ll see you soon, bakkoush.”

noora could have sworn chris had winked at her, taking her vodka bottle and strolling off. yes, she definitely liked her. 

sana laughed softly, rolling her eyes at her friend’s antics but there was something pleased in her eyes, something a little electric. 

she’s glad to be alone with me, noora realized and suddenly, brown eyes were meeting hers, nervous and sincere. 

she took sana’s timid hand and it was all so warm and they made their way silently to the cars, following the people who were also going back except they were grinning, laughing a little every time their eyes met. 

radio killed the video-star played in sana’s car and they drove fast, too fast but noora was too elated to care. they would soon be there, it would be time to say goodbye and then, and then- 

“she told you. she told you why I was afraid to go out there.” 

there was nothing accusatory in her tone but the frown was there, just a little. 

“yes. she did.”

“I’m not mad, I get it. I get why they look at me like that. I mean, they’re still racist garbage but it’s true that it’s rare for muslims to come to san junipero, much less settle there, it’s just- I don’t like to be reminded of that. I really don’t.”

“well, you shouldn’t have to be made to feel judged. not here, not anywhere.” 

sana smiled tightly, gripping the wheel. 

“I guess this place isn’t magic but I don’t care. I’m glad you’re here. I’m so happy I met you.” 

there was something fierce in her eyes, looking at noora in the visor. 

they kept driving until they reached the entrance of the city. it had been so alive a few hours ago but now, it seemed almost deserted. all the lights had gone out, only the car was left to fend off the darkness.

they got out and noora took sana’s hand, held on tight. sana looked at her and touched her other cheek, softly. 

“you’re so strange, noora. it’s like you just dropped out of the sky.” 

noora wanted to kiss her, now and then but the rain started pouring and they run to find shelter, laughing and holding on to one another. midnight was just minutes away and they knew it, hands finding hands, reaching out hungrily. noora didn’t know if she should try to kiss sana again, she wanted more time, more of this thing growing between them so fast, so vividly that it scared her.

it was just infatuation. it was just one night, just one night but she felt like telling her everything, william, her legs and even, the man she was going to marry. 

she felt like telling her she was the most wonderful person she had ever met and that the fact that she hadn’t even met a lot of people to begin with hardly mattered. she lacked the nerve but the words were bouncing in her brain, threatening to escape her lips. 

the place they had found shelter in was a small breach between two nightclubs, filled with junk. sana was exploring, pointing out abandoned baseball hats from the nineties, playing with the keys of a wrecked piano half standing between all the other abandoned things. 

then, the random notes became a familiar tune and time in a bottle was playing all of a sudden, filling up the street. for her.

_but there’s never seem to be enough time  
to do the things you want to do, once you find them. I’ve looked around enough to know you’re the one I want to go through time with. ___

____

____

two minutes to midnight. 

“tell me I’ll see you next week.” 

she had planned not to sound too desperate but that had been too optimistic, she could see that now. 

sana smiled a little, advancing towards noora, unsure this time. 

their lips brushed as she whispered : 

“alright then. until next week.” 

noora woke up in the hospital with the music from the piano still ringing in her head.

yes. next week.

**Author's Note:**

> I made a Spotify playlist for this fic but uh yeah, listen to time in a bottle, that’s the song that inspired the fic and it makes me cry which is why this is such a sap fest I guess ? it’s cute 
> 
> anyways! hope you gays like this! and there’s even more to come (hopefully)! I might do plot and everything! incredible!


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